GS Frame Modification

Yes, I needed 800 kilometers of gas to get through the Baluchistan desert, from Iran (Taftan) to Quetta (Pakistan). As it turned out, there was gas (by the side of the road, in bottles, smuggled from Iran) available. So strictly I didn't need it, but still. And when you get stuck, at least you have gas to cook on (I have an MSR Whisperlite stove). It's not that you NEED it, but it's nice to stop for the night, carry on the next day and then find gas when it's convenient.

I would certainly do it again on this bike. Nothing I can think of in terms of changes. I'm very happy with the mods. However, I am getting new bags made when I get home. The Touratech ones are junk. Also, Fiamm horn mounting tabs seem to not survive the off-road beating. I've had two breaks there. The gaiters, which I didn't change before departure, could not stand the abuse and both are split. I would get rubber gaiters next time. I've ordered a set from the UK. Above 12,000 feet, the battery, Odyssey, charged less quickly then at lower altitude. I'm running an Enduralast system from Euromoto Electrics, which is great. I won't take a spare tire across the Middle East next time. The Metzler Enduro 2 on the rear is holding up fine and I could have changed it in Delhi and in some places in Pakistan even. The front, Michelin Sirac, will probably make it another 7,000 miles. I put it on in Turkey. The rear shock is getting used and I am very happy I spent the cash on new rims at Woody's. The wheels have gotten an incredible beating. I'm currently planning a 40 day hike and frankly have zero desire to ride a single mile more after roughly 25,000 kilometers.... I might do Thailand and Cambodia and then come home. There's only so much riding you can do before you lose your sanity.

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Holy sheet! Is that you Kevin?!?
I can't BELIEVE you're pulling this off. :huh
BruCee ain't gonna blieve this either.

Good subject, purdy welds and all that. Sorry to dredge up an old thread! As a TIG welder, bicycle frame builder and newly annointed G/S owner these subjects have been milling around in my head. Basically the issue to consider is load transfer, you want to brace sections, bends, joints that fail or flex under load. The optimal situation for any welded metal frame is for the material to fail. Meaning the tube bends BEFORE the welds fail. You cannot ask for anything more. Many of the 'additions' I see to frames do NOT address the issues, gussets done wrong will make the situation worse. Some should be welded all the way around and others should not, just the nature of welding and the stresses the process leaves behind. Any area that has a tendeny to fail can usually be observed to be missing a triangulation. A rear sub-frame fails because the load is levered, the front/upper mounting area becomes stressed. Under load the thing wants to buckle like a hinge, any support there is purely material, not structure. The obvious solution is to run a brace from the lower mounting point to the rail under the passenger seating area (a la HPN). BUT, that may hinder other processes so you have to compromise. Quite a can of worms.

Anyway, I'll stop babbling. Here's some pics of a bomb-proof bicycle:
...should give a general idea, every joint is gusseted and triangulated to give maximum strength without excess weight. I have been pilfering ideas/ inspiration from the minimalist bracing done on Malindi's bike (they look great, good reports!), the Overland Solutions stuff, and of course the HPN frame mod catalog!! Which is free to download. I'm done ranting, my apologies!